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A federal judge has barred Transocean from suing the federal government for last year's Gulf of Mexico rig blowout and oil spill. "The U.S. has sovereign immunity here," said U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier. Transocean is still allowed to put forward evidence of such claims at court to reduce any damages against the company, Barbier said.

Related Summaries

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier on Thursday found that the size of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was 3.19 million barrels of oil and not 4.09 million barrels, as estimated by the federal government. The ruling reduced the maximum fine BP must pay under the Clean Water Act from $17.6 billion to $13.7 billion. Barbier added that the company was grossly negligent in causing the Macondo well blowout, but not in responding to the spill.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier again was urged by BP to temporarily halt payments to individuals and businesses affected by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The compensation program is flawed, as indicated in a report by former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Louis Freeh, the U.K. oil major said in a court filing. BP has been rejected twice before by Barbier.

Transocean's $1 billion settlement with the Department of Justice on civil penalties arising from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was approved by U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier. There is "no just reason for delay" in clearing the agreement, Barbier said. Last week, Transocean's criminal settlement with the U.S. government was approved by a different judge.

Damage claims against Weatherford International and Dril-Quip over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill were dropped by U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier. There is no proof that a float collar manufactured by Weatherford was defective and contributed to the incident, Barbier ruled. There is also insufficient evidence that would link Dril-Quip to the oil spill, according to Barbier.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier ordered BP to indemnify Transocean from compensatory damages linked to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. However, Transocean won't be protected from potential civil penalties or punitive damages under the federal Clean Water Act, the ruling stated. "This confirms that BP is responsible for all economic damages caused by the oil that leaked from its Macondo well," said Brian Kennedy, a spokesman for Transocean.